The following is from my own experience only, I am not anything but a Powerlifter.
In my experience
I reckon I have tried every method to cut weight prior to a competition. And what have I discovered works best? Living, breathing and walking around at the weight you need to be when you weigh in or a Kilogram out. If you are training week in week out, you get to your final week where you pull your 1RM's, you eat up for energy because you know it going to be a tough week, then pull your 1RM's at full energy. Why should a comp be any different? Why drain energy when you know you are going to need every part of it?
I've tried - Steam Rooms, Saunas, wearing a garbage bag, fasting, water loading, laxettes, spitting whilst chewing gum.
Why bother? You plan your year ahead for competitions, organise your weight also!
If you're a powerlifter who is cutting for a specific record in a weight class:
Diet up to 4 weeks out from Competition. The final 4 weeks should be maintenance, your working in the heaviest part of your program and need every ounce of your strength in training. The first 8 weeks should be dedicated to weight adjustment. Don't be a powerlifter who feels they need to consume every calorie in sight. I have lost weight while gaining strength, how? Dieting in the hypertrophy and volume stage of the program, eat maintenance on lifting days, eat calories you would normally eat when dieting on rest days, incorporate cardio 3 times weekly. For eg, my BMR is 1150 calories, my daily expenditure is 1900 calories. On training days I eat 1600-1900 calories depending on what I feel I need, rest days, I eat 1400-1500 calories. Split calories into P40%/C30%/F30%. This is just how I do it and find it works for me. There are days after a big session where I feel I need to eat everything in sight, I keep control and throw in a Protein Shake/Smoothie of some sort, I don't go an order a pizza!
If you find out last minute you need to cut weight, if the weight you need to be exceeds 4% of your total body weight, it will hurt your performance.
My only method I now use: Water loading
Every gram lost gives a better score in a powerlifting competition, so I water load to help remove any excess subcutaneous fluid prior to weigh in. For me, it starts 8 days out.
How I do it:
8 - 6 days out: I start by drinking 6-8L of water, I carry around a 2L jug and all my daily fluids come from this one jug. Mine is pretty pink!
*DO NOT drink all this water at once! Drink through out the day!
I eat lots of salty foods for the first 6-8 days (Sausages, cheese, add salt to hot chips)
5 - 3 days out: I maintain salt intake for a couple of days, 2500mg is the recommended dietary intake. I drop fluids to 3-6L
48hrs prior: Drop carbs to <80g, and salts to virtually none. Steak and salads, protein and oats. Don't use seasonings etc, foods must contain 120mg or less per 100g
24hrs prior: I consume 1L of fluid maximum (I use a 1L jug for this also)
12hrs out: I fast. Nothing, nil, nada!
This method works for me, you may need to trial it yourself to see what works for you. The body requires water daily to sustain normal life so don't think you can fast for more than 12hrs. Consume Powerade or Gastrolite straight after weigh in for immediate rehydration. Your body will also require potassium and other vitamins daily during the flushing part of water loading as excess vitamins are flushed out during the process, so maintain multivitamin intake.
If you really need to use a Steam Room or Sauna
My first bit of advice, if you have access to both, go for the sauna.
My second bit of advice, use the Sauna the morning of weigh in, extended hydration on the body takes it toll. Dehydrate - weigh in - then rehydrate as immediate as possible. If you use a Sauna the night prior, you will have a terrible nights sleep, you'll feel irritable and crave thirst all night. I have found 15mins drops 250g - 300g on me personally.
If you need to lose a really small amount...
Whilst sitting on the lounge watching television, wear a garbage bag on the largest surface area of your body, this will be your torso, bum and thighs. Go for a walk with your fashionable garbage bag under a track suit, light the fireplace or start the heater if its shitty weather. Wear it while doing daily activity. Work with it under your uniform.
Chew gum and spit. Only do this in the hour leading up to weigh in. I used to drive to the weigh in with an empty water bottle, chew a mouthful of gum and spit it into the bottle. I don't think I have ever lost a massive amount from this but if you're sitting around toget weighed in or have a decent drive, you may as well let it work for you!
Horror stories I've heard about people cutting weight:
*Fighters who have been that dehydrated they have had to be carried to the scale and supported whilst trying to stand steady on the scale.
*A lifter who could pull a 300kg deadlift on any day of the week, reduced to 170kg in competition after missing every squat and bench attempt, because he cut too much weight prior to competition.
Dont get added to the list! Stay smart, tweek and organise your methods!
Here is a West side Barbell Method of diet and sodium loading prior to weigh in
http://www.muscle-insider.com/content/pre-competition-diet-powerlifters
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